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Wastewater Valorization: Practice around the World at Pilot- and Full-Scale
Anouk F Duque1,2, Riccardo Campo3, Angeles Val Del Rio4
1Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|September 28, 2021
Summary
Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) transform wastewater treatment into a circular economy model. This review details technologies for recovering water, nutrients, energy, and biomaterials from sewage and sludge.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Circular Economy Technologies
Background:
- Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are evolving into water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).
- WRRFs are key to the circular economy, recovering resources from wastewater.
- Significant technological advancements aim to valorize sewage and sludge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review effective strategies for wastewater and sludge valorization.
- To provide an overview of technologies applied in water and sludge lines.
- To cover a broad range of recovered resources and relevant regulations.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pilot- and full-scale applications.
- Synthesis of technologies for resource recovery.
- Analysis of global guidelines and regulations.
Main Results:
- Overview of technologies for recovering water, biomass, energy, nutrients, volatile fatty acids (VFA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and exopolymeric substances (EPS).
- Identification of widely used and effective valorization strategies.
- Review of regulatory frameworks for water reuse and resource recovery.
Conclusions:
- WRRFs offer significant potential for resource recovery and circular economy contribution.
- Technological progress enables the transformation of wastewater into valuable resources.
- Regulatory alignment is crucial for widespread adoption of water reuse and resource valorization.
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